Bottle pack carrier



Jan. 10, 1967 E. 'r. LEEBERG 3,297,220

BOTTLE PACK CARRIER Filed Jan. 24, 1966 25 L E llfll- 1 4. T 3'0 2 L E l Wm. H", 1:- 5- 0% T mm mm. I MMJ INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,297,220 BOTTLE PACK CARRIER Edgar T. Leeberg, Alexandria Township, Hunterdon County, NJ. (500 Amsterdam, Roselle, NJ. 07203) Filed Tan. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 522,718 6 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to bottle neck carriers, and more particularly to devices for carrying a plurality of packages of groups of bottles, such as six-packs or eight-packs or the like.

The bottle packs to be carried are generally box-like cartons each having an upstanding central partition with transverse partitions on each side thereof forming bottle pockets. The portion of the central partition above the transverse partition is provided with a hand hold slot. For carrying a pair of such cartons, it has been proposed to provide a tubular handle member with a wire therethrough having divergent legs at each end forming loops to hook under the respective hand hold slots of the pair. However, this expedient is expensive, cumbersome for handling and packaging, and the rigid wire construction may cause discomfort to the hand.

The main objects of the present invention are therefore to avoid these disadvantages, and to provide an inexpensive, comfortable, and convenient carrier for bottle cartons.

According to the present invention, the carrying handle comprises flexible material having a central hand grip portion and a bottle engaging portion at each end. Each end portion is inserted either inward or outward through a respective central portion hand hold slot into engagement with the bottle in a pocket therebeyond to extend around at least a part of the neck of the bottle. The hand hold slots keep the bottle engaging portions down around the bottle necks when the central hand grip portion is raised to lift the pair of cartons. Preferably the bottle engaging portions are loops which are passed down over the top of the bottle onto the neck thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of a pair of bottle packs provided with a carrying handle according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the carrying handle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of a modified form;

FIG. 4 is a similar view of a further modification;

FIG. 5 is a plan of a still further modification; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the form shown in FIG. 5, but in doubled and assembled relation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the box-like cartons each comprise a central upstanding partition 10, transverse partitions 12, outer walls 14, and a bottom 16. These parts form pockets or cells for receiving respective bottles. The central partition 10 extends above the transverse partitions 12 and the outer Walls 14, and is provided with a hand hold slot 18.

The carrying handle comprises a flexible material having a central hand grip portion 20, with a loop 22 at each end. This preferred form is a one piece molded nonmetallic plastic strap. Each loop 22 is inserted outward through the hand hold slot 18 in its respective central portion, and passed down over the top of the bottle 24 in the pocket therebeyond, to encircle the neck of the bottle. The hand hold slots 18 keep the carrying handle loops 22 down around the bottle necks when the central hand grip portion 20 is raised to lift the pair of cartons as a sort of hitch or sling.

In the form shown in FIG. 3, the carrying handle comprises a long continuous band of filament or fiber such as cotton string, of one or more convolutions passing through a central hand grip tube 26 of relatively rigid non-metallic material such as cardboard, forming the filament band into a loop 28 at each end.

In the form shown in FIG. 4, the carrying handle comprises a cut length strip of non-metallic flexible sheet material having a central hand grip portion 30, and a cut slit 32 at each end to form the bottle neck receiving loop.

The form shown in FIG. 5 is about twice as long as that shown in FIG. 4, and has transverse notches 34 cut in one end portion, and similar notches 35 in the other end facing in the opposite direction. When doubled into the band shown in FIG. 6, these notches overlap and interfit to form a continuous convolution with a central hand grip portion 37 and bottle neck receiving loops 38 at each end.

The modifications shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 may be parts of a continuous perforated ribbon or sheet, to be torn off therefrom as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a pair of box-like bottle cartons each having upstanding central partitions with transverse partitions on each side thereof forming bottle pockets,

said central partitions having respective hand hold slots therein and positioned in parallel side by side relation with their hand hold slots aligned,

a carrying handle comprising flexible material having a central hand grip portion and a bottle engaging portion at each end,

each bottle engaging portion being inserted through a respective central partition hand hold slot to engage a bottle in a pocket therebeyond to contact the neck of the bottle,

said hand hold slots keeping said bottle engaging portions down around said bottle necks when said central hand grip portion is raised to lift the pair of cartons,

and said bottle necks preventing withdrawal of said bottle engaging portions from said hand hold slots when said central hand grip portion is lifted.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible material comprises a strap having cuts therein which permit formation of said bottle engaging portions into end loops by flexing.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible material comprises at least one convolution of at least one filament of substantially uniform cross section, and said central hand grip portion comprises a tube of relatively rigid material surrounding said convolution intermediate the ends thereof.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible material is plastic of substantially uniform thickness having bottle engaging portions in the form of loops molded therein and closed at each end.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible material comprises a doubled strap having transverse notches in opposite sides of opposite ends thereof to form a closed convolution.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which said handle is a part of a continuous perforated member, to be torn off therefrom as desired.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,211,340 8/ 1940 Mehrkens. 3,251,622 5/1966 Miller 22445 X FOREIGN PATENTS 112,45 3 3 1929 Austria. 721,276 6/ 1942 Germany.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF BOX-LIKE BOTTLE CARTONS EACH HAVING UPSTANDING CENTRAL PARTITIONS WITH TRANSVERSE PARTITIONS ON EACH SIDE THEREOF FORMING BOTTLE POCKETS, SAID CENTRAL PARTITIONS HAVING RESPECTIVE HAND HOLD SLOTS THEREIN AND POSITIONED IN PARALLEL SIDE BY SIDE RELATION WITH THEIR HAND HOLD SLOTS ALIGNED, A CARRYING HANDLE COMPRISING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A CENTRAL HAND GRIP PORTION AND A BOTTLE ENGAGING PORTION AT EACH END, EACH BOTTLE ENGAGING PORTION BEING INSERTED THROUGH A RESPECTIVE CENTRAL PARTITION HAND HOLD SLOT TO ENGAGE A BOTTLE IN A POCKET THEREBEYOND TO CONTACT THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE, SAID HAND HOLD SLOTS KEEPING SAID BOTTLE ENGAGING PORTIONS DOWN AROUND SAID BOTTLE NECKS WHEN SAID CENTRAL HAND GRIP PORTION IS RAISED TO LIFT THE PAIR OF CARTONS, AND SAID BOTTLE NECKS PREVENTING WITHDRAWAL OF SAID BOTTLE ENGAGING PORTIONS FROM SAID HAND HOLD SLOTS WHEN SAID CENTRAL HAND GRIP PORTION IS LIFTED. 